Tea Party Caucus: Same ol' Washington, D.C. song and dance

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post reports that despite running against the Washington, D.C. establishment, newly-elected Tea Party favorites are already filling their staff's with lobbyists and cashing special interest campaign checks.

"Many Tea Party favorites, meanwhile, have discovered the appeal of Washington lobbyists' cash and advice. South Dakota's Noem is one of at least 13 incoming Republican lawmakers who have hired lobbyists to run their offices. As The Post's Dan Eggen reported last week, dozens of freshman lawmakers have already had fundraisers to collect millions of dollars from lobbyists and other deep-pocketed interests. In the month since Election Day, new Republican members had more than a dozen such "debt retirement" events."